Ventilating apparatus



Sept. L. SCHEPMOES ET AL 2,092,475

VENTILATING APPARATUS Filed March 9, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS 'rwlsle Sc/zepmoes L 1 BY fi) D. Si IO elf Gk M ATTORNEYS P 7, 1937. SCHEPMOE'S ET AL 2,092,475

VENTILATING APPARATUS Filed March 9, 1934 s Sheets- Sheet s v INVENTORS Linclsle Scfiepmnes' BYJo 5D. 15' fr ell k M ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 7, 19 37 UNlTED STATES 2,092,475 7 VENTILATING APPARATUS Lindsley Schepmoes and John D. S trobell, New Haven, Conn, assignors to The Safety Car Heating & Lighting Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application March 9, 1934:, Serial No. 714,798

16 Claims.

This invention relates to a ventilating or air distributing construction primarily for installation in vehicles, as, for example, railroad cars or the like.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a simple'and practical ventilating construction which is efficient in operation and of inexpensive manufacture. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character which is durable and sturdy and yet may be made from light and inexpensive materials. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character capable of a thoroughly effective operation while presenting a neat and attractive appearance. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character which may be readily installed in railroad cars or the like in which no provision has been made for such apparatus with little or no alteration in the original car structure. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character which will efi'iciently and rapidly ventilate a railroad car or the like without causing undue drafts in any particular locality while greatly facilitating the maintenance of desirable temperature conditions therein. Another object is to provide a construction of the above character whereby uniform air distribution is achieved and heat leakage losses are reduced to a minimum. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to be hereinafter described, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of our invention,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of a railroad car having my construction installed therein;

Figure 2 is a vertical perspective view of the interior of a railroad car having my construction install-ed therein;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View of my construction, partially fragmentary, taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of my construction taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of my construction taken along the line of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of another portion of my construction taken along the line iiii of Figure 1; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional "VlBW similar to the view shown in Fig ure 3.

.indicated at 19. insulatingstrips 2lla,,2ilb,'2la andlfilb affixed to :but'are also inefficient in attempting to maintain desirable temperature conditions throughout the car, uniform air distribution, and avoidance of uncomfortable and unhealthful drafts. constructions are not only very expensive per se but are also characterized by difficulties of installation, unattractive appearance, and nonuniform .air delivery.v Furthermore, they cannot be installed and concealed in an existingcar without extensive alteration of the structure of the car and even then appear bulky and clumsy. Furthermore, this alteration of the car necessitates the refinishing thereof thus adding another item to the already large expense of install-1 ing the equipment andfurthering the risk of rnarring the'appearance of the car interior. One ofsthe several objects of this invention is to provide a ventilating construction in which the several difficulties hereinabove mentioned as well; .as many others are successfully overcome.

Referring now to Figure 1, there is shown a railroad car or the like generally indicated at 10 having the usual seats H at spaced intervals therein. Located preferably at one end of car I 0 is an air conditioning unit I2 of any preferred utype preferably provided with any suitable screened inlet port I3 and outlet port l4. Port 14 communicates with an air duct or conduit generally indicated at M by means of a suitable channel It. Duct l5 preferably extends throughout the length of the car, all as will be more clearly described hereinafter. A second air duct generally indicated at l 5a and suitably connected to unit I2 by way of channel I6 is located on the other side ofcar Ill (Figure 2) and as both ducts are substantially similar, duct 55 only will be described.

i .As more clearly shown in Figure 3, duct I5 is formed by portions of wall I1 and ceiling I8 of car In, the other side of the duct being generally Preferably we provide suitable and covering the portions of Walll'l and ceiling l8 respectively enclosed by side l9. Accordingly we provide an air duct havingbut three walls thus achieving a great reduction of heat leakage by r Wayof absorption through the walls for example.

Furthermore, as side i9 is fitted diagonally in the 1 corner of the clerestory of car It, the interior-of Some of the present and past construc- Present the car is enhanced partially due to the fact that the unsightly corner protruding into the car is eliminated and the ducts appear to form part of the decoration of the clerestory.

At spaced intervals throughout the length of the car, We provide supporting members generally indicated at 22 (Figure 3) preferably comprising individual sections 22a, 22b, 22c and 22d. Sections 22a, 22b, 22c and 2202 are preferably channel shaped in cross-section and progressive in size in the direction of their extent from wall I! to ceiling 18. The bottom portions of sections 222), 22c and 22d (Figure 3) are preferably secured to the tops of the side walls of sections 22a, 22b and 220, as, for example, by spot welding. Thus the sections are secured together in staggered relationship to form supporting member 22 which in turn is secured in position to strip 20b by a bracket 26 and screw 26a thence to strip 21b by a bracket 21 preferably held in position by a suitable bolt 21a extending through the strip and ceiling I8 as best shown in Figure 3.

To complete the enclosure of duct l5, sheet metal plates or the like are preferably bolted to the individual elements of the several supporting members. Thus wall l9 comprises several individual sections I9a, I92), I90, and 19d (Figure 2) all substantially similar in construction and preferably supported by the members 22 and the ends of the car. Referring again to Figure 3, a plate 28 is secured to the bottom of section 220, preferably by bolts 29. In a substantially similar manner, plates 3|, 32 and 33 are secured to sections 22b, 22c and 22d respectively. The width of each of plates 28, 3|, 32 and 33 preferably coincides with the length of the section to which it is secured. However, portions 28a, 3la and 32a extend beyond the ends of sections 22a, 22b and 220 as will be more clear from the description to follow.

Plate 33 extends beyond the junction of section 22d and strip 2la, a portion 33a thereof thence extending through strip 21b. In a similar manner the opposite ends of plates 28, 3!, 32 and 33 are secured to the next succeeding supporting member 22. Also the remaining sections I91), I and l9d are substantially similar in construction. It follows that each supporting member 22 has connected thereto by way of bolts 29 and extending from opposite sides thereof two sets of plates 28, 3|, 32 and 33. In order to conceal irregularities, e. g., bolts 29 and the like forming the connection between the two sets of plates and supporting member 33, we preferably provide concealing members 38 (Figure 3) suitably formed to follow the contour of the staggered elements of supporting member 22. Members 38 are preferably channel shaped in cross section and are suitably secured to supporting member 22 preferably by bolts 39 and abut against strip 20b.

Plates 3| and 32 and their counterparts in the remaining sections of side 19, as more clearly shown in Figure 5, have their longitudinal edges 42 and 43 folded back to form flaps 42a and 43a while part 33 and its counterparts have a folded over edge 30 (Figure 4). Edges 42 and 30 being twice the thickness of the plates accordingly act in a reenforcing capacity to prevent sagging, vibration, rattling, etc. Flap 42a is preferably cut away at each end of the plate so that section 220 of support 22 may lie flush against plate 32 (see Figures 3 and 4). The flaps 42a of plates 3| and 33 are similarly cut away so that sections 22b and 22d may likewise lie flush against plates 3| and 33, respectively. Flaps 43a. have a series of slots 44 into which fit the upwardly projecting portions 5| of corrugated strips generally indicated at 50, while the horizontal portions 32 of these strips are held in clamped relation upon the plates by flaps 63a. Accordingly flaps 43a each hold a corrugated strip 53 disposed beneath and in registry with edges 52 of plates 3t, 32 and 33.

The upwardly extending portions of strips 50 are preferably of such height as to substantially coincide with the distance between adjacent sections 22a and 22b, 22b and 320, 22c and 22d of supporting member 22 (Figure 3). Thus, for ex ample, in Figure 4, plate 32 is but slightly spaced from the tops of the upwardly extending portions of strip 53 which is secured to plate 3! in the manner described above. Edges 42 being disposed immediately above the strips, prevent any tendency of the plates rattling against the strips when the car is in motion. As more clearly shown in Figure 3, plates 33 in addition to being secured to sections 22d also preferably extend through strip 2| 1). Consequently plates 33 have one edge 30 folded over similarly to the other plates, but have their upper edges 33a bent slightly to parallel ceiling [3.

Referring to Figures 1 and 6, there is generally indicated at 54 that section of side l9 immediately adjacent air conditioner 22. A typical stagger of section 53 comprises a plate 55 having a folded over edge 56 and a plate 51 having a downwardly extending edge 58. Preferably secured to the top of plate 51 we provide an angle member or the like generally indicated at 59 having a top portion 60 which is secured to the top of plate 51 by spot welding, for example, and a depending portion 6| preferably spaced from downwardly extending edge 53 of plate 51. Securely positioned between portion 6! and edge 58 we preferably provide an insulating strip 62 which may be of any suitable material, as, for example, felt. Member 32 extends downwardly to the top of plate 55 so that end 62a covers a portion of the surface thereof. Thus member 62 effectively closes the space between plates 55 and 57, the purposes and advantages of which will be pointed out hereinafter. The other spaces between the plates of section 54 are closed or insulated in substantially the same manner and the several plates of section 54 are secured to one supporting member 22 (Figure 3) in a manner substantially similar to that pointed out liereinabove.

In order to prevent any sagging of the plates of the several sections, we preferably provide stilfening strips such as that generally indicated at 63 in Figure 5. Strips 63 preferably have top portions 64 preferably substantially parallel to plate 3|, a pair of downwardly extending portions 35 and 66, and a pair of outwardly extending portions El and 38 resting on the plates and preferably secured thereto by spot welding thus obviating any need for screw or bolt holes which would mar the outward appearance of the plates. Stiffening strip 33 extends the length of the plates between supporting members 22 (Figure 4) and hence any tendency of the plates to sag is offectively avoided not only by strips 63 but by edges 82 as explained above.

Accordingly it will be seen that we have formed an air duct, the visible side of which is comprised of smooth surfaced plates in staggered relationship to one another and which extend laterally from the wall to the ceiling of the clerestory of the car. By securing the plates to the spaced supporting members 22 and concealing the connections therewith by concealing strips 38, a

substantially smooth surface is' achieved which enhances rather than detracts from the appearance of the interior of the car. "It will further be seen that by painting and finishing the various parts before installation to match the interior of the car, it is unnecessary to do any refinishing work after the installation of l the equipment. Likewise the stiffening strips 63 andthe corrugated strips 50 are preferably secured to the plates before installation. Consequently extensive alteration of the car interior is precluded, the only preliminary work necessary thereon being the drilling of a few holes and the installation of insulating strips 20 and 2! (Figure 3) in the car interior.

In operation, air is drawn from the interior of the car through screened inlet port l3 into air conditioner l2 where it is heated or cooled and properly conditioned according to the dictates of a thermostat fill (Figure 2-) suitably positioned preferably at the breathing line within the car. The conditioned air is then forced through outlet port 14 through channel It into air ducts l5 and I511 at a desirable velocity. As pointed out above, the spaces between theplates of section 54 which is immediately adjacent the air conditioning plant l2 (Figure 1) are closed by insulating strips 62 (Figure 6), hence no air can flow therethrough thus eliminating possible objectionable drafts in that portion of the car due to the higher initial pressure of the air as it enters the ducts. By the time the air is past section 54 its initialpressure has been somewhat dissipated so that the air flowing through the corrugated strips between the plates of the succeeding sections is delivered into the car at a proper velocity. By providing corrugated strips 56 (Figure 5) between the several plates of the sections, the air is directed substantially at right angles to the opposite sides of the car and therefore cannot flow into the car obliquely to create drafts upon passengers who sit directly beneath the air ducts. Drafts are furtheravoided by the diagonal position of the plates with respect to thecar ceiling as the air when. flowing through the spaces therebetween is di-- rected upwardly toward the ceiling of the car thereby creating in the upper portions ofthe cara turbulence to distribute the air evenly in all sections of the car.

Accordingly it will be seen that we have pro-- vided equipment for ventilating the interior of a car which is of inexpensive manufacture, which. may be installed in existing railroad cars with. a minimum amount of alteration and which. when installed enhances rather than detracts from the appearance of the car interior. Fur-- thermore by our novel construction, unhealthful. and objectionable drafts are eliminated thusincreasing the comfort and safeguarding the health of occupants of the car. Accordingly we: have provided a thoroughly practical and efficient ventilating construction in which the sev-- eral objects hereinabove mentioned as well as many others are successfully accomplished.

As many possible embodiments may be madeof the above invention and as many changesmight be made in theembodiment above setforth, it is to beunderstood that 'all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

1. In railroad car construction, in combina--' tion, means forming a conduit comprising a plurality of plate members extending longitudinally of and substantially coextensive with said car and lying in spaced parallel planes extending diagonally upwardly from a wall of said car to the ceiling thereof, a plurality of supporting elements spaced from one another-longitudinally of said car and secured to the car, means securing said plate members to said supporting 'elements in separate planes which-are spaced from one another to form openings between the adjacent edges of adjacent plate members, said openings extending longitudinally of the car, said conduit being substantially unobstructed to permit free passage of air throughout its length, and means for forcing air longitudinally through said conduit, the lower edge of each plate, except the bottom-most plate, lying above and over the upper edge of the plate immediately below.

2. In vehicular construction, in combination, a plurality of spaced supporting members, all of said members lying in a plane opposite the angle formed by a wall and the ceiling of an enclosure, each of said members comprising a plurality of elements connected top to bottom progressively upwardly sothat the planes of the bottoms of :said elements are in spaced parallel relationship to one another, a plurality of plate members secured to the bottoms of the elements of said supporting members to form a substantially enclosed conduit with said wall and said ceiling,

and air conditioningmeans in said enclosure adapted toforce conditioned air into said conduit and through the spaces formed by said plates.

3. In vehicular construction, in combination, :a car having a ceiling and a wall, a plurality of spaced supporting members extending diagonally from said wall to said ceiling, each of said members comprising a series of elements secured to one another in staggered relationship, a plu- 'rality of plate members secured to said elements in spaced staggered relationship whereby there is provided an opening'between each pair of plates and whereby a substantially enclosed conduit is formed within said car, and an air con- 'ditioning unit in one end of said car connected to said conduit.

4. In vehicular construction, in combination, 'a car having a wall and a ceiling, a supporting member secured to said wall and said ceiling. forming acute angles therewith, said member imember secured to said wall and said ceiling forming acute angles therewith, said member comprising a plurality of U-shaped channel members secured to one another top to bottom progressively upwardly throughout the extent of said member, a plurality of plate members each secured to the bottom of one of said channel imembers whereby said plate members lie in spaced parallel planes to form a substantially "enclosed conduit with said wall and said ceiling,

and a stiffening member secured to the upper surface of each of said plate members and coextensive longitudinally therewith.

6. In vehicular construction, in combination, ;a car having a wall and a ceiling, a supporting member secured to said wall and said ceiling forming acute angles therewith, said member comprising a plurality of U-shaped channel members secured to one another top to bottom progressively upwardly throughout the extent of said member, a plurality of plate members each secured to the bottom of one of said channel members whereby said plate members lie in spaced planes to form a substantially enclosed conduit with said wall and said ceiling, and corrugated strips in each of the spaces between said plates, said strips being secured to the upper edges of the plate members.

7. In vehicular construction, in combination, a car having a clerestory, a pair of air conduits disposed substantially at the opposite sides of said clerestory substantially triangular in vertical cross-section, each of said conduits including a side formed by plates in spaced staggered relationship to provide longitudinal openings leading into the interior of said car, and deflecting means disposed within said openings adapted to control the direction of flow of air therethrough.

8. In vehicular construction, in combination, a car having a clerestory, a pair of sections each extending from one of the sides of said clerestory to the ceiling thereof to form air channels, said sections comprising a plurality of panel members arranged in staggered spaced relation 30 to form openings into said car from said channels,

and air deflecting means disposed within said openings.

9. In vehicular construction, in combination, a car having a wall and a ceiling, a supporting member extending from said wall to said ceiling and secured thereto, said member having a plurality of surfaces lying in spaced parallel planes, a plate member secured to each of said surfaces whereby a substantially enclosed conduit is formed by said plate members, said wall, and said ceiling, the spacing between adjacent plate members forming longitudinal openings into said car, and air deflecting means in said openings.

10. In vehicular construction, in combination, a car having a wall and a ceiling, means forming a conduit in said car, said means including a plurality of sections extending from said wall to said ceiling and each of said sections comprising a plurality of plate members secured in spaced staggered relation whereby longitudinally extending openings are formed between adjacent plate members, insulating means blocking all of the openings in one of said sections, and an air conditioning plant adjacent said last-mentioned section.

11. In vehicular construction, in combination, a car having a clere story, a pair of sections one of which extends from one of the sides of said clere story to the ceiling thereof to form an air channel and the other of which extends from the other side of said clere story to the ceiling thereof to form another air channel, said sections each comprising a plurality of panel members arranged in staggered spaced relation to form openings into said car from said channels, stiffening means associated with each of said panel members, and deflecting means in each of said openings.

12. In vehicular construction, in combination, a car having a clere story, an air conditioning unit in said car, a plurality of sections secured together in end to end relationship and extending from one side of said clere story to the ceiling thereof to form an air channel, means connecting said air channel to said air conditioning unit, each of said sections comprising a plurality of panel members arranged in staggered spaced relation to form openings into said car from said channel, and insulating means in each of the openings in the section immediately adjacent said air conditioning unit.

13. In vehicular construction, in combination, a car having a clerestory, an air conditioning unit in said car, a plurality of sections secured together in end to end relationship and extending from one side of said clerestory to the ceiling thereof to form an air channel, means connecting said air channel to said air conditioning unit, each of said sections comprising a plurality of panel members arranged in staggered spaced relation to form openings into said car from said channel, insulating means in each of the openings in the section immediately adjacent said air conditioning unit, and deflecting means in the openings of the remainder of said sections.

14. In vehicular construction, in combination, an enclosure having a wall and a ceiling, means forming a conduit in said enclosure, said means including a plurality of sections extending longitudinally of said enclosure, each of said sections comprising a plurality of plate members extending from said wall toward said ceiling, the adjacent longitudinal edges of said plate members being spaced to form longitudinally extending openings, air conditioning means associated with said enclosure to force air through said conduit and said openings into said enclosure, and insulating means closing some of the openings in one of said sections to prevent the flow of air therethrough into the adjacent portion of said enclosure.

-15. In vehicular construction, in combination, an enclosure having a wall and. a ceiling, means forming a conduit in said enclosure, said means including a plurality of plate members extending from said wall toward said ceiling, said plate members having their adjacent longitudinal edges spaced to form a longitudinal opening in said enclosure, air conditioning means associated with said enclosure to force air through said conduit and said opening into said enclosure, and air deflecting means associated with one of said plates in the vicinity of said opening to deflect air into said enclosure angularly with respect to the direction of flow of air in said conduit.

16. In railroad car construction, in combination, means forming a conduit, said means including a plurality of plate members extending longitudinally of and substantially coextensive with said car and extending upwardly from a wall of said car toward the ceiling thereof, a plurality of supporting elements spaced from one another longitudinally of said car and secured to said car, means securing said plate members to said supporting elements in spaced relationship to form an opening between adjacent longitudinal edges of said plate members, said opening extending longitudinally of the car, said conduit being substantially unobstructed throughout its entire extend to permit free passage of air longitudinally therethrough, and means for forcing air longitudinally through said conduit and through said opening into said car.

LINDSLEY SCHEPMOES. JOHN D. STROBELL. 

